Alaska Calendars

I doubt that any other state has as many calendars available to choose from as Alaska. Some are given away free by companies, and many are available statewide at retail locations.

I joined the ranks of calendar producers in 2004 with the Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Calendar, sampling the natural beauty of Alaska's interior. That particular calendar has my work exclusively and control of image selection and design has been rewarding. For years, I've contributed to other Alaska calendars and I'll put a plug in for a few of them here, I have work published in each of these listed below.

ATT 2009 Calendar: Bull caribou in front of Mt. McKinley, Alaska

For a free calendar, check out the ATT Alascom annual wide format yearly calendar, given away at their respective ATT stores. It is a two-sided calendar and I have one side of this year. You can aslo download the image for your screensaver from the ATT website.

Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Wall Calendar
(on sale ($10) through our website with free shipping).

UAF Sea Grant Alaska Coastal Calendar (Inside)

Greatland Graphics calendars (Inside)

The Alaska Weather calendar (cover)

Alaska Wildlands calendar (inside)

Aurora Borealis calendar (cover)

Digital Composites

Nowadays, digital composites are everywhere. While editorial images should be honest and unmodified, there seems to be no limit with advertising and promotional works. We received a recent example of this when we got our copy of a Russian calendar featuring some of our polar bear photos.


Our photo as it appears in a Russian polar bear calendar


The original photo

I like what they've done by adding a horizon, which breaks up the white-on-white of the photo, and also adds some blue which goes well with the off-white of the polar bears. Take a closer look, and you'll see they also added catch lights to the eyes. When naturally occurring, these are a desirable and attractive element in photography. They add a sparkle to the eye and bring attention to it. However, it has to be believable when added digitally. Catch lights usually indicate a light source, so there should be some shadows in the photo, and this one was taken under overcast skies. They are also pretty extreme in the cubs eyes on top, and perhaps would be more pleasing toned down some.

An interesting thing about catch lights is they are often used to determine if a photo is faked. Sometimes it is obvious, if for example different people or animals in a photo have catch lights in different positions of their eye, or some are missing, etc. In some cases, advanced software is even used to calculate light sources and angles when it is critical to determine if a photo is legitimate.

We sometimes create digital composites and post them on our web site if we think some creative modifications can be made. When we do, we are sure to make a clear statement in the photo caption information, and confirm with the client that it's OK before completing a sale.

Here are two examples:


This totem is not really a composite because it originates from only one file, but so much "digital lighting" is done that we list it as a digitally modified image.


This photo was created from several photos for a request for a commercial fishing boat in a clearing storm. The original boat was photographed on a sunny day, and several layers of mountains, clouds, and rain were added.

Entry fee

One troy ounce of gold was part of the entrance fee for the All Alaska Sweepstakes dog mushing race held in Nome, Alaska. The photo was taken for an article published in Mushing Magazine.
Canon 1ds Mark III, 100mm macro f2.8 flat field lens, 1/30 sec @ f8, flash lit with 580EX and soft box.

I made this photo last month for an article published in the May 2008 issue of Mushing Magazine, featuring the All Alaska Sweepstakes sled dog race. The race, unique in many ways, requires one troy ounce of gold along with some cash for the musher's entrance fee. A friend of mine let me use his gold (and his $100 bills!) along with a vintage 1889 cigar box as props. I used a Canon 580EX off camera flash in manual mode, triggered by another 580 as a master. It was 100% lit by flash using a small soft box help create the wrapping light.

The cover shot of Lance Mackey was taken with a Canon 500 mm lens, just as he was heading out of Nome at the start of the Sweepstakes race. By the way, Lance did not win the Sweepstakes, the cover title "Lance does it again" refers to his second consecutive win of the Iditarod race a few months earlier. Lance took 3rd place in the Sweepstakes.

2009 Fairbanks Calendar time

2009 Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Wall Calendar

I've been designing the 2009 Fairbanks Calendar over the past few weeks, and it will go to press soon. This will make year number 6 for the calendar, which has been received with good favor. The cover photo is always a tough decision, and I've settled on a frost covered tree in winter, which captures that beautiful luminance of our chilly but crisp winter days. Your comments on the selection is welcome.

Fairbanks featured in Alaska Magazine

The Riverboat Discovery on the Chena River, from the deck of the Chena Pump House Restaurant, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, 24-105mm f4.0L, (24mm) 1/320 sec @ f9.0, ISO 160

The March 2008 issue of Alaska magazine is running a feature titled: "Fairbanks - The Heart of the Interior" I've supplied them with photographs from the aurora and ice fog to the pure summer sunshine.

I'm often humored at the predictable response to the question of "where do you live". Whenever I respond "Fairbanks", something like this follows: Really? But you seem like a reasonable person, why would anyone live there, isn't it like minus 50 degrees in the winter and dark?

This little dialog has repeated itself countless times and interestingly, most often from Alaskans. Not to spoil a well kept secret, but Fairbanks is a great place to live, but it is also an extreme place to live as well. For those who relish in extremes, it is perfect. And yes, even the 50 below zero temperatures.

Too see more photos taken in the Fairbanks area check out my Fairbanks Alaska photos

Mt. Augustine Volcano

Mount Augustine volcano, Cook Inlet, Alaska.

Stitched panorama photo made with two images. It was selected for the ATT Alascom Calendar for 2007.

March 14, 2006 brought clear skies to southcentral Alaska, and I ventured to Homer to attempt some photography of Mt. Augustine volcano for a book project. I was aware of the volcano activity but really have to thank a friend and colleague Calvin Hall, who had sent me some inspirational images of the volcano he had taken the previous week. From a roadside lookout just outside of Homer, you can see the volcano on a clear day, approximately 75 miles away. I waited until the sun had set and the ambient light dropped low enough to let the "lava" or technically called "incandescence" glow with the help of a long exposure. You could not really see it with the naked eye. I've learned from my dusk to dawn photography experience that you can end up with unusual visual discoveries when looking at images made with lengthy exposures. This is particularly true with the Aurora borealis.

Long exposures with a telephoto lens require extreme tripod stability to prevent camera movement blur. I used a 500mm lens with a 1.4x converter (equivalent of 700mm) on a sturdy Gitzo tripod with a RRS panorama swivel ballhead. After taking the first frame and checking the histogram very carefully, I swung the camera to the left for the second frame allowing about 1/3 to 1/2 overlap. The exposure time was 95 seconds for the first frame and 102 seconds, for the second one (I added a little more time to compensate for the slightly darkening sky). With a total exposure time for the scene at about four minutes, there was not much time for experimenting. Throw in a test shot or two before hand, and timing becomes critical. You can see more photos of the volcano on my site: Mt. Augustine volcano photos

Mount Augustine volcano, Cook Inlet, Alaska, March 14, 2006, 7:34PM
Canon 1Ds Mark II, 500mm f4.0L IS, with 1.4x, 95 sec @ f5.6, ISO 400
Frame 1 of 2

Mount Augustine volcano, Cook Inlet, Alaska, March 14, 2006, 7:36PM

Canon 1Ds Mark II, 500mm f4.0L IS, with 1.4x, 102 sec @ f5.6, ISO 400
Frame 2 of 2

Panorama stitched from two images.

International Polar Year stamps

In 2007 I had a few images selected for publication in a souvenir stamp set commemorating the International Polar Year, which extends from March 2007 to March 2009. The two photos selected represent the people and wildlife of the arctic region, and were taken here in Alaska. The IPY is a large scientific program that will involve over 200 projects, including thousands of scientists from over 60 nations. They will examine a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics focusing on the Arctic and Antarctic.

International Polar Year Souvenir commemorative stamp set.

Polar bear on ice berg, Beaufort sea, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark II, 500mm f4.0L IS, w/2x converter, 1/500 sec @f10, ISO 200

Inupiaq woman (Bertha Leavitt), Barrow, Alaska
Canon EOS3, 70-200mm f2.8L IS, 1/250 @f4.0, Fuji RDP 100